Bay Delta Conservation Plan Moves Forward

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On July 25, Governor Brown and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced a wide range of revisions to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, with co-equal goals of increased reliability of the water supply and restoring the Delta ecosystem. A central element of the Plan is the construction of a $13 billion twin tunnel system for moving water around the Delta to Central and Southern California. The water intake facilities would be located south of Sacramento and would have a capacity of 9,000 cubic feet per second. This is the latest incarnation of the peripheral canal proposal that was defeated by voters in 1992. The Governor and supporters of the project contend that this system is essential for the future of the Delta and efficient water management. Opponents contend that the economic and biological analysis used to justify the plan is faulty and that the water conveyance system will have a detrimental impact on the ecosystem and Delta farmers. The review process for this proposal is likely to be quite lengthy and contentious, and some groups are threatening litigation to stop the project. Some groups support other alternatives, such as a smaller conveyance system or no conveyance system.

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